Lord Protector
by Foxbear
Summary: The crown jewel of the mighty Quintesson empire gleams across the stars. Every flaw was hunted down ages ago with the off-lining of that pesky outlier who fancied himself Prime. Every Cybertronian now exists, a functional cog of the overmind. Two mecha who shouldn't exist strive to convince Cybertron that the Prime will return, and freedom is worth the cost.
1. Questions

A Transformers Prime/IDW Fanfiction

Set in the Prism AU Verse

Done for the 30 days/100 words challenge. The 30 days will not be consecutive.

Day 1

"So?" Hot Rod smiled across their shared cube. "Are you_?" _

_He couldn't help but return the smile. There was so much life, in it_.

"Am I?" His companion asked, shifting to avoid the acid rain that seeped into their makeshift shelter.

"A, ya' know," Hot Rod gestured with rusty servos at his chestplates.

The darker mech's faceplates tightened.

"You know what the symbol means." He replied.

"Yeah, but you kinda, half ripped it off your plating." Hot Rod observed.

A fit of coughing took the Runner and Deadlock pulled Hot Rod close to steady him, hopping the questions were done.


	2. Chapter 2

A Transformers Prime/IDW Fanfiction

Set in the Prism AU Verse

Done for the 30 days/100 words challenge. The 30 days will not be consecutive.

Day 2

"_I shall return!" Lord High Protector Megatron roared from the door of the shuttle before striding up the ramp. _

"Like plague he will," Hot Rod sneered at the holorecording without looking up.

"If you must mock the one mech I serve with my entire spark could you at least do it somewhere else?" Deadlock asked through gritted dentia.

"Nowhere else is as comfortable as right here," Hot Rod replied blithely as he crimped yet another explosive cap.

Deadlock glared down at the mech sprawled across his lap.

"Gimme a rust stick and I'll quit," Hot Rod offered with a grin.


	3. Chapter 3

**A Transformers Prime/IDW Fanfiction **

**Set in the Prism AU Verse **

**Done for the 30 days/100 words challenge. The 30 days will not be consecutive. **

**Day 3**

"So Locky?" Hot Rod asked as he forced the nameless Leaker's servos into something resembling dignified rest, "why do you hate medics like you do?"

"How do I hate medics _Roddy_?" Deadlock asked as he passed his servos over the empty spark chamber in the Primal Blessing.

"Like rust," Hot Rod replied as he followed the motion of Deadlock's digits with brilliant orange paint. "Like the plagues, like they're worse than Quints."

"I don't hate medics," Deadlock said.

They slipped into the shadows as the retrieval mechs honed in on the offline frame and carried it to the reclamation center.


	4. Chapter 4

**A Transformers Prime/IDW Fanfiction **

**Set in the Prism AU Verse **

**Done for the 30 days/100 words challenge. The 30 days will not be consecutive. **

**Day 4**

"I just can't believe that miss-forged idiot let you take me online," Hot Rod whined as the gleaming enforcers dragged him along.

"Only online mechs serve their purpose," replied one enforcer in a tone that didn't at all sound processor-washed.

"I mean, he has all those guns," Hot Rod went on as he warped his body into yet another escape attempt. "He could have used one of them to save me from a fate worse than offlining. Stoic Decepticon devotion to ideals my rusting left pedd!"

"Your rusting left pedd will be tended to," droned the enforcer.

Hot Rod shivered.


	5. Chapter 5

**A Transformers Prime/IDW Fanfiction **

**Set in the Prism AU Verse **

**Done for the 30 days/100 words challenge. The 30 days will not be consecutive. **

**Day 5**

Hot Rod was cursing when the wall exploded and Deadlock burst into the room. The enforcers fell back to protect the mass of tentacles and attitude attempting to frag up Hot Rod's processors, well more than they already were. Deadlock made short work of his restraints.

"Bout time you showed up!" Hot Rod said as they charged out the gaping hole together. "I knew you couldn't resist my charm!"

Deadlock shot him an irritated look. Or maybe that was just Deadlock's face; was hard to tell sometimes.

"An immune mech is too valuable a resource to waste." Deadlock informed him.


	6. Chapter 6

**A Transformers Prime/IDW Fanfiction **

**Set in the Prism AU Verse **

**Done for the 30 days/100 words challenge. The 30 days will not be consecutive. **

**Day 6**

"If you don't believe that Lord Megatron will retake Cybertron then why do you continue to fight?" Deadlock demanded as he frantically crimped the lines in Hot Rod's leg.

"Maybe because I see a point in living beyond worshiping some washed up Kaonite security guard with delusions of divinity," Hot Rod tried to snap back.

His voice was staticky from pain and loss of energon.

"Why do you insist in clinging to the ghost of things that just, just aren't anymore?" Hot Rod demanded as his systems stabilized. "Isn't this, saving lives here and now, enough?"

Deadlock glanced away uneasily.


	7. Chapter 7

**A Transformers Prime/IDW Fanfiction **

**Set in the Prism AU Verse **

**Done for the 30 days/100 words challenge. The 30 days will not be consecutive. **

**Day 7**

"It's a trap," Hot Rod growled. "A pit-spawned Quintesson trap!"

"I know the voice of my lord calling me," Deadlock replied.

"Calling you into a trap!" Hot Rod yelled. "Even if it is Megatron. Why go? We need you here!" His optics glittered with pain. "I need you here. I can't, I can't do it without you anymore Locky."

Deadlock opened his mouth with a promise in his optics.

"Don't say it," Hot Rod snarled. "Don't you dare say the same thing Megatron said before he left _and never came back_."

Deadlock smiled sadly and turned to board the ship.


	8. Chapter 8

**A Transformers Prime/IDW Fanfiction **

**Set in the Prism AU Verse **

**Done for the 30 days/100 words challenge. The 30 days will not be consecutive. **

**Day 8**

"Where's your shadow?" Swindle asked as Hot Rod passed the data chit.

"Probably the same place as your good merch," Hot Rod snapped.

"Now, now," Swindle soothed him. "Didn't mean any harm. Just haven't seen you without your Con since the Protector left."

"He'll be back," Hot Rot replied sharply as he snatched the data chit Swindle offered in return.

"Course he will," Swindle agreed as Hot Rod scanned the data. "He'll be following you around like a turbofox-pup before you know it."

Hot Rod glanced up at the Decepticon and a tired but grateful smile played over his face.


	9. Chapter 9

**A Transformers Prime/IDW Fanfiction **

**Set in the Prism AU Verse **

**Done for the 30 days/100 words challenge. The 30 days will not be consecutive. **

**Day 9**

"We were here first," Hot Rod said firmly. "We'll be here when they're gone."

"They control the military," one rusting miner began.

"Not all of them," Hot Rod cut in.

"Enough of 'em," said a Decepticon missing an optic. "Enough that we can't fight 'em."

His arms tightened around the Autobot leaning into his chestplates.

"Enough that we can't hope to fight 'em without the Lord Protector," the Con finished.

"Is he really coming back?" the Autobot asked shyly.

"He's coming back," Rodimus stated, letting his conviction flow from his spark and light the room with his fire.

_Deadlock is. _


	10. Chapter 10

**A Transformers Prime/IDW Fanfiction **

**Set in the Prism AU Verse **

**Done for the 30 days/100 words challenge. The 30 days will not be consecutive. **

**Day 10**

Fire crackled over the wreckage of the landing pod. Drift's systems struggled to feed energon to his fumbling servos as the military frames approached him without caution, without pause. His recent trips back and forth between Earth and Cybertron had gone too smoothly perhaps; lulled him into a sense of security. He could not fail now. They were so close. A few more trips and…He pulled up his primary weapon and prepared to fire off a shot but one by one they dropped to the ground.

"Knew you'd come back Locky," Hot Rod called out cheerfully. "What'd you bring me?"


	11. Chapter 11

**A Transformers Prime/IDW Fanfiction **

**Set in the Prism AU Verse **

**Done for the 30 days/100 words challenge. The 30 days will not be consecutive. **

**Day 11**

"The Lord Protector gathers his armada about him," Deadlock announced. "He has formed a beachhead on the planet Earth. From there he will launch the fleet that will free Cybertron."

He paused for the cheering. None came. His optics played uneasily over the waiting, sullen faces around them in the cave. He felt rather than heard Hot Rod shift beside him.

"It's time!" Hot Rod called out. "Enough surviving, enough watching our enslaved loved ones leaking out. We drive them off Cybertron once and for all!"

The cheering came. Ragged, raw, it came. Deadlock gazed at Hot Rod and smiled.


	12. Chapter 12

**A Transformers Prime/IDW Fanfiction **

**Set in the Prism AU Verse **

**Done for the 30 days/100 words challenge. The 30 days will not be consecutive. **

**Day 12**

"But what are we even going to do with a Lord Protector if we get one?" Hot Rod asked as he watched Deadlock cleaning his guns.

"Do with him?" Deadlock asked.

"Yeah," Hot Rod waved his hand as if describing his thoughts with them. "A Lord Protector really only exists if there is a Prime to protect. We've got no Prime so what's he going to do once the Quints are gone? Hey, Locky, what?"

Hot Rot scooted over to the Decepticon and draped himself over Deadlock's wide shoulders. Trying to wordlessly sooth the pain he felt in his field.


End file.
